Seven people, mostly children, have drowned and 13 others are feared missing after a fishing boat carrying 48 people reportedly sank in Sei Kubung waters in Labuhan Batu regency, North Sumatra, late on Wednesday.

As many as 28 passengers were rescued by fishermen.

Police said they were still investigating the cause of the incident. The boat was skippered by Koling, 47.

Labuhan Batu Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Ahmad Fauzi said police had questioned some of the survivors, including Koling.

Fauzi added that based on the preliminary examination, the boat sank at around 10pm local time after it ran out of fuel. The passengers panicked when the vessel suddenly stopped in choppy waters.

“The boat was dragged by the strong current until if hit something and capsized,” Fauzi said on Thursday.

Fauzi said as of 2 pm on Thursday, those missing had not yet been found, while the bodies of the seven victims were found.